When Filipino-American Haidee Villar-Poquiz heard that Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, she was in disbelief.
Like thousands of Jackson fans, she followed the news and continued to refresh Internet news story about the King of Pop. When she read that his body was transported to the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA, she had to go and pay her last respects.
"I was just so sad," said Villar-Poquiz, a 40-year-old human resources executive in Santa Monica. "I just kept telling my friends I have to be there, I have to be there. I know his body is still there."
Villar-Poquiz joined hundreds of fans at UCLA medical center mourning Jackson's death. Many stood in front of makeshift memorials. One woman sat on the ground and wept openly clutching a pink pillow with Jackson's face on it.
Standing in front of Jackson's Hollywood Walk of Fame star, Fil-Am Liza David paid her respects.
"I think Michael Jackson's passing is kind of our generation's Elvis passing," she said. "I grew up during the Thriller era and I remember the Motown concert when he first did the moonwalk. Everyone just went crazy and he just blew up after that."
According to a UCLA statement, it is believed that the 50-year-old Jackson suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are released.
Jackson was an extremely popular musician in the Philippines. More than 50,000 Filipinos attended Jackson's HIStory concert tour in Manila in 1996. It was his only visit to the Philippines.
Former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, cried when she heard the news, according to reports.
"Michael Jackson enriched our lives, made us happy," Marcos said in a statement. "The accusations, the persecution caused him so much financial and mental anguish. He was vindicated in court, but the battle took his life. There is probably a lesson here for all of us."
Filipino politicians reminisced about the influence Jackson had on them while they were growing up. And popular singer Gary Valenciano also cried when he heard the news.
"In some ways it's like part of me has died, too," Valenciano said. "He was an inspiration to me. I still wonder if he ever read the letter I wrote him when he performed here. It was the least I could do for all the years that he inspired me."
Meanwhile, 1,400 prison inmates in the province of Cebu who made headlines worldwide with their reprisal of Jackson's Thriller video were reported to be planning another dance in tribute to the 13-time Grammy Award winner.
Officials from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center officials said that the performance would be held this weekend inside the provincial jail in Cebu.
Joseph Pimentel is a writer for Asian Journal.
AJPress Photo by Miko Santos
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